1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to the WSX receptor and ligands and uses for these molecules. In particular, the invention relates to agonist antibodies which bind to and activate the WSX receptor.
2. Description of Related Art
Hematopoiesis
The process of blood cell formation whereby red and white blood cells are replaced through the division of cells located in the bone marrow is called hematopoiesis. For a review of hematopoiesis see Dexter and Spooncer (Ann. Rev. Cell Biol. 3:423-441 (1987)).
There are many different types of blood cells which belong to distinct cell lineages. Along each lineage, there are cells at different stages of maturation. Mature blood cells are specialized for different functions. For example, erythrocytes are involved in O2 and CO2 transport; T and B lymphocytes are involved in cell and antibody mediated immune responses, respectively; platelets are required for blood clotting; and the granulocytes and macrophages act as general scavengers and accessory cells. Granulocytes can be further divided into basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils and mast cells.
Each of the various blood cell types arises from pluripotent or totipotent stem cells which are able to undergo self-renewal or give rise to progenitor cells or Colony Forming Units (CFU) that yield a more limited array of cell types. As stem cells progressively lose their ability to self-renew, they become increasingly lineage restricted. It has been shown that stem cells can develop into multipotent cells (called “CFC-Mix” by Dexter and Spooncer, supra). Some of the CFC-Mix cells can undergo renewal whereas others lead to lineage-restricted progenitors which eventually develop into mature myeloid cells (e.g., neutrophils, megakaryocytes, macrophages and basophils). Similarly, pluripotent stem cells are able to give rise to PreB and PreT lymphoid cell lineages which differentiate into mature B and T lymphocytes, respectively. Progenitors are defined by their progeny, e.g., granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming progenitor cells (GM-CFU) differentiate into neutrophils or macrophages; primitive erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-E) differentiate into erythroid colony-forming units (CFU-E) which give rise to mature erythrocytes. Similarly, the Meg-CFU, Eos-CFU and Bas-CFU progenitors are able to differentiate into megakaryocytes, eosinophils and basophils, respectively.
Hematopoietic growth factors (reviewed in D'Andrea, NEJM 330(12):839-846 (1994)) have been shown to enhance growth and/or differentiation of blood cells via activation of receptors present on the surface of blood progenitor cells of the bone marrow. While some of these growth factors stimulate proliferation of restricted lineages of blood cells, others enhance proliferation of multiple lineages of blood cells. For example, erythropoietin (EPO) supports the proliferation of erythroid cells, whereas interleukin-3 (IL-3) induces proliferation of erythroid and myeloid lineages and is therefore considered a multi-lineage factor.
In recent years, several hematopoietic growth factor receptors have been isolated. Due to their low abundance and their existence in both high-affinity and low-affinity forms, biochemical characterization of these receptors has been hampered.
Cytokine receptors frequently assemble into multi-subunit complexes. Sometimes, the a subunit of this complex is involved in binding the cognate growth factor and the P-subunit may contain an ability to transduce a signal to the cell. These receptors 1 have been assigned to three subfamilies depending on the complexes formed. Subfamily 1 includes the receptors for erythropoietin (EPO), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-7 (IL-7), growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL). Ligand binding to receptors belonging to this subfamily is thought to result in homodimerization of the receptor. Subfamily 2 includes receptors for IL-3, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-5 (IL-5), interleukin-6 (IL-6), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), oncostatin M (OSM) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). Subfamily 2 receptors are heterodimers having an α-subunit for ligand binding and β-subunit (either the shared β-subunit of the IL-3, GM-CSF and IL-5 receptors or the gp130 subunit of the IL-6, LIF, OSM and CNTF receptors) for signal transduction. Subfamily 3 contains only the interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor. The β and γ subunits of the IL-2 receptor complex are cytokine-receptor polypeptides which associate with the α-subunit of the unrelated Tac antigen.
Obesity
Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder which, according to recent epidemiologic studies, affects about one third of all Americans 20 years of age or older. Kuczmarski et al., J. Am. Med. Assoc. 272:205-11 (1994). Obesity is responsible for a variety of serious health problems, including cardiovascular disorders, type II diabetes, insulin-resistance, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, dyslipoproteinemia, and some forms of cancer. Pi-Sunyer, F., Anns. Int. Med. 119: 655-60 (1993); Colfitz, G., Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 55:503S-507S (1992). A single-gene mutation (the obesity or “ob” mutation) has been shown to result in obesity and type II diabetes in mice. Friedman, Genomics 11:1054-1062 (1991).
Zhang et al., Nature 372:425-431 (1994) have recently reported the cloning and sequencing of the mouse ob gene and its human homologue, and suggested that the ob gene product, leptin or OB protein, may function as part of a signalling pathway from adipose tissue that acts to regulate the size of the body fat depot. Parabiosis experiments performed more than 20 years ago predicted that the genetically obese mouse containing two mutant copies of the ob gene (ob/ob mouse) does not produce a satiety factor which regulates its food intake, while the diabetic (db/db) mouse produces but does not respond to a satiety factor. Coleman and Hummal, Am. J. Physiol. 217:1298-1304 (1969); Coleman, Diabetol 9:294-98 (1973). Recent reports by three independent research teams have demonstrated that daily injections of recombinant OB protein inhibit food intake and reduce body weight and fat in grossly obese ob/ob mice but not in db/db mice (Pelleymounter et al., Science 269:540-43 (1995); Halaas et al., Science 269:543-46 (1995); Campfield et al., Science 269: 546-49 (1995)), suggesting that the OB protein is such a satiety factor as proposed in early cross-circulation studies.
Researchers suggest that at least one OB receptor is localized in the brain. The identification and expression cloning of a leptin receptor (OB-R) was reported by Tartaglia et al. Cell 83:1263-71 (1995). Various isoforms of a OB receptor are described by Cioffi et al. Nature 2:585-89 (1996). See, also, WO 96/08510.
The mouse db gene has recently been cloned (Lee et al. Nature 379:632 (1996) and Chen et al. Cell 84:491-495 (1996)). Previous data had suggested that the db gene encoded the receptor for the obese (ob) gene product, leptin (Coleman et al., Diebetologia 9:294-8 (1973) and Coleman et al., Diebetologia 14:141-8 (1978)). It has been very recently confirmed that the db/db mouse results from a truncated splice variant of the OB receptor which likely renders the receptor defective in signal transduction (Lee et al., Nature 379:632 (1996) and Chen et al., Cell 84: 491-495 (1996)).